Fluorescent or LED

Fluorescent bulbs have been around for generations.  Our house, in West Ashley, was build in 1964.  Above the kitchen sink is a 24" fluorescent tube light that remains on day and night.  It doesn't use much power and has been replaced only once in seven or so years.

Initially, LED (light emitting diode) lights were being used for backlighting on watches and behind controls.  They did not gain popularity until the advent of the rope lights and then uses such as Christmas tree lights. 

It seems that each system has its good and bad points.  Incandescent light bulbs are fairly cheap but use a lot of power, produce heat and have a fragile filament that break easily when jostled.  Heat is the enemy of electrical wiring, making it dry which can be dangerous.  Fluorescent bulbs can damage the pigments in paintings and prints.  In just one year the damage can be dramatic.  They do contain a small amount of mercury which stays in the environment for a long time.

LEDs do not damage paints and produce little heat.  They use arrays to illuminate areas and bukbs tend to be fairly expensive.  On the other hand, the fact that their light is directed cuts down on light spillage or light polution.  One good application of this technology is street lighting at the beach.  Their arrays can be directed so as to not confuse baby turtles heading for the water.  Many tv sets use  LEDs.

Soon the government will begin enforcement of bans on various sizes of incandescent bulbs.  I have tried changing over to fluorescent or LED lighting whenever possible.  While fluorescent bulbs are supposed to last up to seven years, I have not found that to be the case.  That causes the cost figures used by companies to appear to be too optimistic.

I have a water pumb for irrigating my lawn under an old sink in our backyard.  Since I am am generally too lazy to drain my pump and prime it in the Spring, we turn on an incandescent bulb under the sink when we expect it to freeze.  The heat from the bulb, so far, has kept the pump from freezing.  After reading about the banning of 100 watt bulbs, I found myself picking up a couple 4 packs to have around.  At the current rate of breakage, they should last me until I am about 135 years old. 

One country that is "light-years" ahead of us with regard to the usage of LEDs is China.  I believe a large amount of their outdoor lighting is now LED.  Maybe someday we will get serious about energy consumption and find new ways to save through the use of LEDs.  So far, Americans have not seen the light.

Michael Kaynard is a local photographer who lives in West Ashley.  His photos can be seen at http://kaynardphotography.webs.com.  He can be contacted at mkaynard@gmail.com or 843-412-2299.